BJP urges L-G to intervene in MCD crisis

A delegation of mayors of the three municipal corporation in the capital met lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung on Tuesday, urging him to order the Delhi government to release the pending municipal funds in order to end the prevailing logjam.

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay, who led the delegation, told reporters that the Aam Aadmi Party government was resorting to cheap gimmicks for political gains. “The Delhi government led by Aam Aadmi Party is free to victimise the civic bodies’ leaders, but it should release the funds for employees who have not been able to pay the school fees of their wards and buy medicine for the ill,” said Mr Upadhyay.

The delegation submitted a detailed memorandum to the lieutenant-governor and expressed its gratitude on the reports about the letter written to the Delhi government regarding strike in the municipal corporations.

In their memorandum to the lieutenant-governor, Mr Upadhyay and leaders said that the acceptance of the recommendations of 4th Finance Commission by the Delhi government is proof of the fact that the Delhi government very well understands that the funds due to the municipal corporations according to the recommendations of 4th Finance Commission should be paid to them and the municipal services could be carried out only with the help of these funds.

The memorandum stated, “The present House of the Municipal Corporations was elected in 2012 and just after its formation; it is constitutionally entitled to funds (economic resources) in accordance with the recommendations of 4th Delhi Finance Commission.”

Mr Upadhyay blamed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for pushing the national capital towards a state of emergency as the government is becoming a party to law and order problems engulfing the city. “We can fight it out in elections next year, but CM saheb please be humanitarian. Don’t drive Delhi towards an emergency. Please release funds,” he said.

The BJP also condemned city’s health minister Satyendar Jain for using abusive language against the civic bodies’ engineering staff, who on Tuesday marched from the City Centre to Rajghat, holding bowls to beg for release of their salaries. Mr Upadhyay said the minister should not stoop so low when dealing with the state employees.